BitFunder Founder Charged by SEC for Stealing $61 Million Worth of BTC 435

Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought charges against Jon E. Montroll and his exchange BitFunder for operating an unregistered securities exchange and defrauding users. On top of that, the agency also charged the operator — Montroll — with making false and misleading statements in connection with an unregistered offering of securities. BitFunder was a platform that permitted users to buy and sell virtual “shares” of various digital currency-related enterprises in exchange for Bitcoin.

“We allege that BitFunder operated unlawfully as an unregistered securities exchange.  Platforms that engage in the activity of a national securities exchange, regardless of whether that activity involves digital assets, tokens, or coins, must register with the SEC or operate pursuant to an exemption.  We will continue to focus on these types of platforms to protect investors and ensure compliance with the securities laws,” said Marc Berger, Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.

The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan, charges Montroll and BitFunder with violations of the anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions and disgorgement plus interest and penalties. 

The agency alleges Montroll operated BitFunder as an unregistered online securities exchange and defrauded exchange users by misappropriating their Bitcoin, and also for failing to disclose a cyberattack on BitFunder’s system that resulted in the theft of more than 6,000 Bitcoin. Going off the price of Bitcoin today, that’s about $61,800,000.

“As alleged in the complaint, Montroll defrauded exchange users by misappropriating their bitcoins and failing to disclose a cyberattack on the exchange’s system and the resulting bitcoin theft.  We will continue to vigorously police conduct involving distributed ledger technology and ensure that bad actors who commit fraud in this space are held accountable,” said Lara S. Mehraban, Associate Regional Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.

Unfortunately for Montroll, his legal troubles don’t stop with the SEC: Also today, in a parallel criminal case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a complaint against him for perjury and obstruction of justice during the SEC’s investigation. This implies that Montroll, in some way, must have not fully cooperated with the SEC during the agency’s investigation.

This case comes as the SEC is cracking down on other companies and individuals it believes are partaking in shady business within the crypto-space. In January of this year, the agency advised people to “exercise caution” with Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

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Meet TABOO, the unique token that gives reward for every transaction 8174

TABOO

TABOO is a community-led project with absolute rug proof security, allowing all participants to participate in a completely secure ecosystem with a fully locked liquidity pool. They give a portion of each purchase to their faithful holders as a gift. With each transaction, your TABOO tokens will rise!

TABOO holders passively earn tokens by static incentives with a set 5% tax that is allocated to their holders’ ‘TABOO is a deflationary MEME token with a 7% transaction tax. 2 percent is indefinitely burnt from the stock, implying that the quantity of token in nature is still decreasing, making this token more difficult to obtain, raising the token’s price. 5 percent is allocated to all of our holders, implying that the number of tokens in your wallet is constantly increasing!

Team Tokens are secured by a DX auction, and liquidity is secured, providing our investors with complete security.

People behind TABOO 

The TABOO team is an entertainment and publishing blockchain platform initiative that uses NFTs to build an inspired and, most importantly, satisfied long term holder!

They are a deflationary meme token that brings you unique never-before-seen uncensored NFT material from world renowned beauties!

TABOO’s staff understands that the fundamentals of a good coin must be MARKETING! They need a crowd whose values are shared, and there is no question that as a group, they will push this coin well beyond the $100 million market cap in no time.

Roadmap

Q2 2021:

  • Launch Website
  • Presale
  • Airdrops
  • Whitepaper
  • CoinMarketCap listing

Q3 2021:

  • Top Tier CEX Listings
  • Deploy exclusive NFT content to premium TABOO holders
  • Banner ad campaigns
  • Glamour model/ pornstar marketing
  • Begin talks with leading online adult only websites

Tokenomics

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How to buy TABOO

To buy TABOO, you must first own some BNB and transfer it to your wallet. TABOO can then be obtained via PancakeSwap.

SEND BNB TO WALLET

1. Login to your binance.com account. select wallet and click “overview”.

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2. In your wallet overview, click “withdraw”.

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3. Once you’re in the withdrawal menu, select bnb, enter the withdrawal address (obtained from metamask), select binance smart chain as the transfer network, and enter the amount you want to withdraw.

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4. After selecting binance smart chain as the transfer network, a pop-up screen will appear. select “I understand”.

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5. The next steps are the same as with any other withdrawal. A confirmation screen will appear to inform you about the conversion rate, fees, and to allow you to review the transaction details once again.

6. Once confirmed, you’ll be asked to enter your verification code to approve the withdrawal.

Your transaction will be processed shortly. The funds should appear in your metamask wallet balance (under smart chain) within a few minutes after you receive the withdrawal confirmation email.

BUY TABOO ON PANCAKESWAP

1. Access to www.taboo.community

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2. Buy Taboo on pancakeswap

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Join TABOO on Telegram

Plethori is Offering Investment Opportunities into Leading Insurance, NFT, and Oracle Sectors 8203

Plethori

London, United Kingdom / 23 May 2021 / Plethori, a cryptocurrency ETF investment platform, is offering investment opportunities into leading Insurance, NFT, and Oracle sectors.

In the crypto world, investment opportunities are plenty, but can appear scattered and complex. Plethori plans to help solve this problem. As crypto becomes more mainstream, emerging projects are combining the best of the traditional and decentralized markets in order to offer the greatest investment opportunities to serious investors. One such company is Plethori, a one-of-a-kind cross-chain investment platform built on the Ethereum and Polkadot blockchains. Their goal: to deliver Cryptocurrency Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) to the masses via their platforms.

Plethori is a Cryptocurrency ETF Investment Platform that allows the open trading and creation of trustless ETFs by utilizing blockchain technology and layer 2 solutions. The service will allow investors to deposit capital in the form of PLE tokens and invest in a wide range of ETFs enabling investment into entire industries in cryptocurrency such as insurance, oracles, NFTs, Derivatives, Polkadot ecosystem projects, and many more.

The cross-chain investment platform recently partnered with Shield Finance — a multichain DeFi insurance aggregator. Shield Finance has developed an insurance aggregator which enables investors to protect their portfolio against ‘black swan events such as hacks, exploits, rug pulls, market crashes. The partnership will provide Plethori’s users with the power to insure their investments against negative price movement. Shield Finance will deploy Market Crash Protection contracts to cover the $PLE token. Holders will be able to insure their tokens against loss, giving them the ability to sell their $PLE at a guaranteed price (irrespective of current market price). Plethori also has plans to explore deploying the same insurance contracts to cover their range of available ETFs.

Plethori Brings Financial Inclusiveness

Soon to be launched on the ethereum layer 2 solution Optimism, Plethori will be able to offer their users ultra-low transaction fees and fast trading whilst maintaining high security. The platform shall also provide ERC-721 integration, rewarding ETF creation and trading achievements and gratifying investment and trading. Plethori will utilize the Ethereum and Polkadot ecosystems, empowering traders by providing a wide range of ETF tokens to trade and invest in. This will allow for the leveraging of technology from both blockchains. The service will allow investors to create fully decentralized ETFs that can then be traded which will earn creators a share of the subsequent transaction fees. The leaderboard system will reward top-performing fund creators with NFTs which give perks on the platform and partner project platforms such as early access to releases and higher staking APY.

Some of the key features on the platform include: Metamask Wallet connectivity for trustless non-custodial transactions; Blank Wallet integration for secure, private transactions; ultra-low fees on transactions; margin trading; leveraged trading; advanced charting features; detailed asset information; cryptocurrency market analytics; portfolio management tools; PLE token staking and farming and a lot more.

Plethori Governance

Plethori Governance is the governance platform and a community forum where PLE token holders will be able to submit proposals and vote on platform changes which will be vetted and executed by using governance contracts. The community will be able to communicate with other equally dedicated members in the tiered groups on the platform and coordinate and propose changes to the Plethori ecosystem.

The governance structure will be a complex but fair tiered system with each holder initially holding an equal single vote and their vote growing in value in response to certain factors relating to usage and involvement in the ecosystem.

The metrics that will influence the governance tier level and strength of vote are: length of time holding PLE; length of time staking/farming PLE; frequency of usage of the Plethori platform; level of engagement in the Plethori Governance platform, and; community contributions.

This system allows for community control, which holds true to the original cryptocurrency ideals of decentralization and democratization.

The PLE token will additionally act as a governance token for the platform giving the community the power to direct the development and advancement of their goals. PLE token holders will be able to vote on the platform to determine fund parameters and new features. They’ll also be able to influence decisions concerning the project such as ETF asset rebalancing or listing/delisting of assets. The changes proposed will be vetted and then voted on through the governance platform. Any changes will be applied automatically via smart contracts.

Conclusion

Plethori is bringing an era of financial inclusiveness through its cross-chain investment platform that offers several investment opportunities via Defi to one and all. Their interoperable platform allows for seamless trading between the Ethereum and Polkadot ecosystems.

The platform guarantees more than simply an aesthetically thought-out UI but also an investor-centric feel to create the perfect blend between form and functionality.

Social Links :

Twitter : https://twitter.com/plethori

Telegram : https://t.me/plethori

Medium : https://medium.com/plethori

ARNO Token is a Real Nano Technology Project for Investment 9235

Arno

Today, it is vital for businesses to cut and stabilize costs as much as possible. For industrial systems and processes, energy conservation is becoming a top priority. Art Nano (ARNO) is focused on integrating the use of carbon nanotechnology for energy storage and battery improvement technologies at a time when natural and non-renewable resources are rapidly depleting. Aside from depleting resources, energy storage is a significant concern, as the majority of losses occur during storage and transformation. ARNO has created carbon-based products that, when combined with current battery technology, can provide significant energy savings. The business has prioritized expansion and the creation of a decentralized and efficient distribution system that includes defi integration.

ARNO token project is quickly gaining traction as a promising investment opportunity. This initiative is a focused endeavour to finance the implementation of a scientifically sound, cutting-edge technology into long-standing supply chains in order to update existing and outdated systems that haven’t yet lost their utility. The ARNO token is heavily used in the project’s economic framework, and it serves as the centre of gravity for the entire ecosystem. Also, the most widely used cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, would be excluded. In the project and all of its elements, only ARNO will be used. It’s a high-liquidity project that takes place in the real world.

ARNO token has done its utmost to ensure that the actual state of affairs in the project corresponds to the roadmap and preparation that was done at the outset in order to fulfil the obligations to all the partners. The project is on route to meet its deadline and is on track to achieve its target. The truth is becoming more apparent every day as a result of recent events.

ARNO Joins Forces With The German Patent Office

ARNO has signed a memorandum of understanding with the German Agency for the Protection of Rights and Intellectual Property. It is this entity that will represent the entire project’s interests in matters such as patent filings, trademark registrations, and so on. This is a watershed moment for ARNO, the up-and-coming secondary power solution provider using Defi and Nanotechnology.

The incorporation of a German trademark would include much-needed intellectual property registration, enabling them to move forward with the mass production of their carbon nanotubes, which could be combined with existing battery technology. Furthermore, in the future, they will be responsible for filing patent applications, as well as their registration and receipt, trademarks, and intellectual property in general.

Integrated PayPal Payment Option

In the field of partner fees, there have been several improvements. The PayPal-based payment acceptance system is fully operational after almost three weeks of adjustment and clarification of the complexities, which we consider to be a significant accomplishment. This platform now has the PayPal payment option, allowing customers to buy and sell the native token, ARNO token, with ease. Provided that it would work with defi, this would also help them simplify the payment process.

Successful negotiations with Monbat Groups

ARNO is also looking for potential future partners, such as lead-acid battery suppliers, as well as partnering with the Bulgarian government to secure space for the project’s laboratory and production base. In Bulgaria, a management company has already been established to oversee the project’s implementation throughout the European Union’s territory.

Furthermore, in Bulgaria, talks with the Monbat group of companies, one of the largest European manufacturers and distributors of lead-acid batteries, have been fruitful over the last two weeks. An agreement was reached on our project, receiving a portion of the shares in a joint venture for the development of carbon nanomaterials produced by our company at specially designated sites in Bulgaria and the incorporation of technologies developed by us into the final product’s production process.

Samples of the carbon nanomaterials have already been sent for testing, and models of batteries will be manufactured specifically for this project in the near future, with testing of working samples beginning at the factory according to agreed international standards. In addition, the produced samples will be sent to our laboratory for a thorough examination. Furthermore, talks with the Advanced Research and Technologies company are underway to begin designing installations – reactors for the serial processing of carbon nanomaterials that will be used – as well as developing design estimates. This contract is expected to close soon as well.

Conclusion

ARNO is, without a doubt, the future of authentic nanotechnology projects that are ideal for investment. It’s a project with a lot of liquidity that occurs in the real world. The project has already gained traction, and deals are being closed on a regular basis. ARNO Token investments are investments in the high-tech manufacturing of truly essential goods. The project’s benefit is ensured by access to the accumulated funds and the physical development of the project’s capitalization value. ARNO’s promises are becoming a reality with each passing day.

Stay Updated, Follow ARNO on :

Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Linkedin | Instagram | Youtube

ZHU Announces Plans to Build NFT-based Fan Community 10168

ZHU - Photo Credit: Joey Vitalari
ZHU – Photo Credit: Joey Vitalari

Today, ZHU reveals the details of his plan to build an NFT-based fan community. Beginning with the DREAMROCKS NFT Collection exclusive to Red Rocks concert-goers, an open Zhuman Community token will also be made available for fans worldwide. Fans who attended ZHU’s six-night sold out run at Red Rocks that concluded last night are able to register for community tokens as well as limited-edition moment tokens that include exclusive content from the show they attended. To redeem, showgoers should register using the same email they used to purchase their concert tickets.

Fans of ZHU worldwide will also be able to redeem an open Zhuman Community token. The Zhuman Community token will grant holders access to exclusive content and events to be announced in the coming weeks. ZHU adds, “The fans have shown up so hard these last two weeks at Red Rocks, I’m excited to give something special back to them while also making sure all of my Zhumans worldwide can be a part of the community we’re building.” All DREAMROCKS tokens will be minted and issued on Saturday, May 15th at 12 PM ET. All Zhuman Community tokens will begin minting in the coming weeks. Fans should visit ZHU’s page on the Yellowheart Marketplace for more information and to redeem.

The DREAMROCKS NFT Collection from ZHU is being issued by Night After Night and Yellowheart, the partners behind Kings of Leon’s NFT YOURSELF album release. These releases make ZHU the first artist to build a fan community by issuing free community tokens and the first to issue tokens tied to a live experience.

Casey McGrath, CCO of Night After Night adds, “With this offering, ZHU is setting the tone for how artists should enter the space and use NFTs to create a fan-first model that establishes a long term direct-to-fan pathway.”

“For YellowHeart, democratizing the modern live music experience is our mission. As in-person events start to come back, introducing the many ways NFTs can transform and amplify live music for both artists and fans, in a way that’s better for the environment, is all the more exciting,” said Josh Katz, Founder & CEO of YellowHeart. “It was important to ZHU to have both a carbon-neutral process, as well as offer tokens that are gas-free, so all of his fans could participate in this iconic drop. Since YellowHeart uses Ethereum Layer 2, which uses proof-of-stake, it is the most efficient blockchain solution in terms of gas fees and energy consumption.”

Crypto Investing Re-invented Following BlackDragon’s New Platform Launch 9693

BlackDragon

BlackDragon, the early-stage crypto investing fundraising group, has launched its new decentralized blockchain-native Platform this (Sunday, the 9th of May 2021).

This milestone will make investing both more convenient and simpler for those seeking the highest returns for their capital. With over 1,000 community members and an average ROI of 40x in 2020, BlackDragon has enabled everyday investors to see returns previously only reserved for those with privileged access, extensive crypto networks, and the ability to put in countless hours of dedicated research.

Our newly developed platform is a crypto investors’ one-stop-shop where investors can take comfort knowing that the experienced BlackDragon team has vetted projects and conducted the appropriate due diligence.

The cohesive and beautifully designed app compiles the various projects with the key fundraising data associated with each and provides links to research, key socials, and ROI on previous projects. All the user has to do is bridge their tokens, lock them up to calculate their pro-rata percentage amount, and decide which projects they would like to invest in. Then, with the push of a button, their capital is allocated to prime early-stage projects of their choice.

Apart from sleek UX/UI design, which allows users to easily navigate and search through deals, the app’s biggest innovation is that it runs on the xDAI network, making transactions cheaper, faster, and more efficient. The mechanism allows xDAI tokens to be bridged to and from the ETH blockchain.

And this is where the BlackDragon Token comes into play. The BlackDragon Token (BDT) is an integral part of the BlackDragon investing ecosystem, as it grants access to the platform itself and is used for calculating investment allocations. The way it works is this – if you want a higher project allocation, you need to lock more xBDT.

It is important to note that xBDT tokens can be locked by users via integrated smart contracts, meaning each user gets to decide how many tokens they want to lock/unlock for a certain period. Subsequently, the tokens are locked for 6 months, stimulating stable price appreciation.

BlackDragon currently offers access to their investing services based on the following levels:

Level 0

White Dragon

250+ BD Tokens

Access to 60% of deals

Level 1

Green Dragon

1,000+ BD Tokens

Access to 90% of deals

Level 2

Yellow Dragon

5,000+ BD Tokens

Access to 95% of deals

Level 3

Black Dragon

10,000+ BD Tokens

Access to 100% of deals

If you’re considering getting into crypto investing, but have no idea where to start, or if you’re a seasoned trader and want to save time on research and gain exclusive access to preliminary deals while enjoying a premium UX/UI experience, then BlackDragon is your gateway to convenient and successful crypto gains.

Hashflow Announces $3.2M Seed Round To Bring Professional Market Makers to DeFi, Backed By Dragonfly Capital and Electric Capital 11233

Hashflow, a decentralized exchange connecting DeFi traders with top crypto market makers, has closed a seed funding round of $3.2 million from leading venture capital firms and angel investors. The round was led by Dragonfly Capital and Electric Capital, and joined by IDEO Ventures, Alameda Research, Metastable, Galaxy Digital, Unanimous Capital, and angels including Balaji Srinivasan, Kain Warwick, & Ryan Sean Adams.

Decentralized exchanges on Ethereum have seen rapid growth over the past year with over $215 billion traded on DeFi alone in Q1 2021. This growth can be credited to the popularity of Automated Market Makers (AMMs) which catalyzed DeFi’s explosive growth by offering a simple and permissionless on-chain trading experience. Hashflow builds upon this foundation laid by AMMs, by connecting DeFi traders with top crypto market makers. Using Hashflow, traders can receive price quotes directly from market markers and broadcast trades on-chain using Web3 wallets in a fully trustless manner. By replacing AMM bonding curves with professional market makers, Hashflow offers traders better prices, zero slippage, & the lowest gas costs of any decentralized exchange on Ethereum.

For market makers, Hashflow provides access to the expanding DeFi market while allowing full control over their inventory and pricing strategies. Until now, market makers have had to deploy capital in public liquidity pools, use pre-defined pricing functions, and pay heavy gas fees to change strategies on-chain. With Hashflow, market makers can use bespoke pricing strategies and bridge them on-chain using digital signatures. This gives market makers full control over their capital, and flexibility to adapt to market conditions, using strategies informed by years of experience in centralized markets.

Jon Kol, Director at Galaxy Digital, a leading cryptocurrency investment firm and market maker, commented: “Hashflow is the first project we’ve backed that seamlessly allows market makers to quote prices effectively to DeFi traders.”

Hashflow launched its closed private alpha product this week, with market makers offering price quotes to traders on Ethereum mainnet. In the coming weeks, Hashflow plans to integrate more market makers, and add additional asset pairs that dominate on-chain trading volumes. General audiences will be able to access Hashflow and trade on-chain with market makers by the end of Q2.